Abu Dhabi’s cruise industry set for back-to-back record-breaking seasons

Demand for voyages originating in Abu Dhabi from luxury lines Celebrity Cruises and MSC Cruises has led to a record-breaking season for the Abu Dhabi cruise industry. 

Celebrity Constellation carried more than 13,000 guests in 975 staterooms – a 95% load factor – during its six 12- to 15-night voyages that departed from Abu Dhabi in the 2016/17 cruise season.

Forward bookings are up too, with demand for cruises departing Abu Dhabi aboard Celebrity Constellation in the upcoming 2017/18 season up 23% when compared to the corresponding period last year.

Meanwhile, MSC Cruises will return for a third successive season in 2017/18, once again homeporting its 3,900-passenger MSC Splendida at the state-of-the-art Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal.

Overall, Abu Dhabi is forecast to welcome more than 300,000 passengers from 148 calls made by 18 ships from 15 different cruise lines during the 2017/18 cruise season. This would be a double-digit percentage growth in passenger numbers from the 2016/17 season and an 8% increase in ship calls. An economic impact and forecasting report by Oxford Economics predicts that the Abu Dhabi cruise tourism segment will attract 450,000 cruise passengers by 2020, rising to 808,428 in 2025.